Luminous Spirits (Shadow Eyes Series Book 2)

by Dusty Crabtree

  My aura swelled and intensified in anticipation as I approached Angela from behind. Since her black mass was bigger than any I’d fought before, I had to approach the thing a little differently. I stretched my hands out as wide as they could go and grabbed whatever I could get my hands around.

  After a few moments of intense tugging, the shadow released. I fell backwards with it in my arms.

  Once liberated, Angela instantly gasped for air as though she’d been drowning and had just reached the surface. She must not have known how to handle being free of her leech, though, became she grew almost frantic as she continued to suck in air. “I don’t...I don’t know what...what got into me...I...I’m sorry...I...I just...”

  “Shh,” Kyra tried to calm her down. “There’s no need to apologize for anything. It’s okay.”

  I held fast to my prisoner as Kyra and Lexi escorted Angela to the counselor’s office, being sure to keep her attention on the hallway ahead of her and shielding her vision from me as they turned the corner. After that only Patrick, the shadow, and I remained.

  The heavy fog writhed in my arms from being scorched by my aura, but its movements were constricted and stiff as if confined by a straight-jacket. The shadow was locked in my arms, and I wasn’t letting go until there was nothing left to let go.

  Despite my determination, there was one thing I hadn’t considered. In my brilliant plan to suffocate Lucas’s protégé, I hadn’t accounted for how its words and touch would affect me. The leech’s lies were all-too-familiar. I knew the shadow’s burdensome pressure like a former slave knows the weight of his old chains. I was the one in control, yet I found myself staggering backwards to the wall as I clutched the darkness that reminded me so much of my past. I slumped slowly to the floor and wept bitterly.

  Patrick stepped forward. Through the shadow’s hazy form and my own tears, his glowing figure was blurry, but I could tell he’d withdrawn his prism. “Iris. Let me take care of it.”

  “No,” I shouted back through gritted teeth as I tightened my grip.

  “Let it go.” He pleaded. “You don’t have to do this.”

  “Yes,” I whispered. I closed my eyes and sent the last few tears I would ever cry over Lucas cascading down my cheeks. “Yes, I do.”

  All the negative emotions I’d been harboring towards Lucas—my hurt, my resentment, even my fear, came barreling to the surface, and I funneled them straight into this representative. It would die for Angela and for me.

  With my hands still rolled up inside its murky flesh, I relaxed into my aura and let the light take over. A sweet yet powerful surrender. Immediately a brilliant flash filled the hallway, so bright I squeezed my eyes shut. Patrick even faltered back a few steps. My arms swelled for a few seconds and then deflated as a blood pressure cuff expands and then slowly releases. When I reopened my eyes, I clung to nothing.

  I sighed, slumping even further down the wall. My emotions and exerted effort had wasted all my energy. Yet I’d never felt more satisfied with myself.

  Patrick extended his hand with a warm smile but shaking his head. “You never cease to amaze me. Need some help up?”

  “Thanks.” I smiled tiredly but kept my hand at my side. “But I think I’d like to sit here for a minute by myself. If that’s okay.”

  Patrick frowned as he lowered his hand, concern evident in his eyes. But like the good, caring, and understanding boyfriend he was, he simply nodded. “I’ll be in there when you’re ready.”

  Sadly, I never got the chance to get “ready.” The moment Patrick stepped inside, Lila appeared from around the corner once more.

  Seeing her face again finally helped me to put two and two together. Having to confront this shadow must have been what she’d warned me about minutes ago. But Lila couldn’t have planned this. Angela had been harboring that shadow long before Lila had gotten there. Hadn’t she?

  “So…” Lila strolled over to me with her arms across her chest. “Feeling like a depressed, anxious loser again yet? Or maybe I should stay ‘still’ since that part of you has never really changed. Has it?”

  I stood up, brushed myself off, and echoed her bold stare. “No, Lila. That part of me is long gone. In fact, if anything, dealing with that girl’s shadow made me stronger and more confident. So if, for some reason, you had anything to do with it…thanks.”

  She knocked her head back and groaned in utter frustration. But when her eyes returned to me, they had a bizarre desperate quality about them. Even her arrogant scowl seemed to be masking something else underneath. “Well, I’m sure your confidence will shatter when your little Patrick eventually leaves you for me. He’ll come back to me in the end. I know he still has feelings for me. You know it too, don’t you?”

  Her pompous presumptions begged me to slap her. She had no idea the whole thing with Patrick was a lie.

  On second thought, slapping her would be petty and not worth it. Fists flying from my mouth, however, seemed more appropriate, and would produce a much more satisfying reaction anyway.

  “Lila, remember that time Patrick kept you after school in the commons? And you were trying to get him to go back to being a dark servant? You said crap like you were better for him than me, and he said something like your offer was tempting and that you were probably right?”

  “Oh, you were listening, were you?” She narrowed her eyes at me and produced one of the most condescending smirks I’d ever seen. “That must’ve sucked.”

  She had walked right into it. All I had to do was open my mouth and let the upper cut fly. “Not as much as it’ll suck for you when you hear the truth.”

  She wrinkled her forehead as I paused for dramatic effect. “It was all a hoax, Lila. He was just causing a distraction so we could dig up some dirt on you and your slave driver. In fact, he said he never did and never could have feelings for such evil, repulsive scum as you.”

  And...knock out.

  Lila’s jaw dropped.

  I’d probably gone too far and compromised something. Letting her know Patrick had been lying to her and that we’d been digging up stuff on Donovan wasn’t the best idea I’d ever had. But right then I didn’t care. I was enjoying watching the waves of shock, hurt, and bitterness roll across her face too much. It was about time someone knocked her on her face and taught her some humility.

  In a few seconds, though, her bitter emotions shifted into something entirely different. Something I hadn’t expected. Her eyes widened and she flicked her head back behind her as if she were worried we were being watched. More than worried. She was scared. I started to second-guess my harsh, revealing words.

  I had never seen Lila in such a vulnerable state. Her unexpected reaction threw me, and my stomach twisted into knots. I was embarrassed. Ashamed of myself. Not even Lila deserved to be treated that way, especially from a light warrior.

  I remembered what Patrick had told me before about her hypocritical parents. That’s why she’d become a dark servant in the first place. She wasn’t inherently evil. I needed to correct what I’d done. I drew on the light inside me to help me form the right words and surprised myself with what came out.

  “Lila, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told you that in the way I did. I’d be lying if I didn’t say you’ve been making me crazy jealous lately. But that’s no excuse for me to say those things to you. And, to be fair…” I knocked my head back and forth and rolled my eyes. “…I probably embellished his choice of words a little.”

  If I thought she’d looked shocked before, she seemed completely dumbfounded now. “Why are you being nice to me?”

  I shrugged and smiled, amazed at how easily I could talk to her when she wasn’t putting on an arrogant show and I wasn’t seething with jealousy. “I don’t know. I guess that’s just what light warriors do. Plus, I’ll be honest, seeing your reaction to my kindness is way more satisfying than feeling like crap after telling you off.”

  I grinned and she shook her head as if she still couldn’t believe what was happening.
I couldn’t blame her. I hardly believed it myself.

  Her shock and awe was gone in an instant as she seemed to remember something. She took a few steps closer to me and grabbed my arm firmly. “Be careful.” Her eyes darted down both hallways once more and then returned to regard me with what could only be described as protectiveness. “And watch your back.”

  “O…kay.”

  I wasn’t sure what else to say as she released my arm and turned to leave. But then I remembered who she represented. The demon who was after my boyfriend. “What about Patrick?” I asked. “Should he be worried too?”

  Lila spun back around and studied me through squinted eyes. “You still don’t get it, do you, Iris? It’s all about you.” Though her eyes had softened, they still held a mixture of disbelief and wonder as she shook her head and backed away. “It’s always been about you.”

  With that she turned on her heel and dashed around the corner into darkness.

  Chapter 27

  I might as well have been absent the rest of the day because my mind was. The only thing consuming my thoughts was my confrontation with Lila. What did she mean to watch my back? Were Lucas and Donovan going to try something? Of course, we knew they had to be scheming some sort of plan, but what? Aside from simply wanting me to join them. One of them had been at practically every shadow hunt recently. If they’d wanted to hurt us, why hadn’t they done it already? And why did she say it was all about me? I mean, Lucas I could understand. But didn’t Donovan want Patrick?

  I groaned and pulled out my phone. Mr. Keller was wrapping up his lecture and scrawling something illegible on the board, so I had to shield my phone from him. I’d barely had time to tell everyone at lunch what had happened with Lila. We had to have a meeting after school so I could get all the thoughts swimming through my mind out in the open. Otherwise, I’d go crazy.

  I sent the mass text to Gregory, Kyra, and Patrick and added Lexi as an afterthought. Right as I hit send, I glanced up to see Mr. Keller gazing my way. He opened his mouth and I drew in a breath, waiting for the inevitable request for my phone.

  But Josh’s voice drew our teacher’s eyes away from me. “Mr. Keller, what did you mean about Pluto not exactly being a planet anymore?”

  Our teacher easily took the bait, and promptly whirled back around to the board to draw various-sized circles in large dramatic strokes as he began to spout off names and terms we’d never heard of. Apparently, Pluto’s sad story was an unresolved issue for him. I took the opportunity to steal a quick peek at Josh and thanked him silently, even though he’d essentially betrayed me the other night.

  He returned my thanks with a single nod and then pretended to listen to Mr. Keller’s emphatic answer to his question, which lasted until the end of class.

  The second the bell rang I was out of my seat and headed to the door.

  “Hey.” A light tug on my arm forced me to stop. I hadn’t even realized I’d walked right by Josh’s seat, or that he was still sitting in it.

  “Hey.” I was anxious to get to the meeting I’d called for on the other side of school. But Josh had saved my phone. The least I could do was hear him out.

  “I wanted to let you know that whatever Lila told you about what happened after you left is total crap.”

  I wasn’t expecting that. “How’d you know what she told me?”

  He released my arm. “Well, I don’t. I just assumed she’d pull something stupid since she’s a manipulating liar.”

  I grinned more than I probably should have. “All right,” I laughed. “What did happen?”

  “Oh, don’t get me wrong. She cornered me and tried every trick in the book. But I managed to escape.”

  “Hmm.” I nodded. “So, next time Lila says someone was all over her, I’ll know what she really meant was she was all over him.”

  He laughed and stood up, throwing his bag over his shoulder. “Most likely.”

  By the time I reached Mr. Delaney’s classroom, I was nearly skipping. Josh had picked us over Lila. The win felt good. I waltzed through the door and found everyone else already seated in a semi-circle around Gregory’s desk. Gregory’s elbows were propped up on his armrests and his fingers were pressed together. He barely noticed I’d come in.

  Kyra and Patrick greeted me as I sat down in the open seat between them, but Lexi just smiled. She didn’t say anything. It was a friendly expression but more formal or respectful. Which was weird because she’d acted mostly normal in first hour. Maybe since this was her first official meeting with all of us she felt awkward.

  “Lexi, seriously. You don’t have to act different around us. All it’ll do is make us uncomfortable.”

  “Speak for yourself.” Patrick reclined lazily in his chair, placing his arms behind his head. “I’m always comfortable.”

  I rolled my eyes at my boyfriend as Lexi sighed into a groan. “I’m sorry. It’s just so weird to think of you all this way. I mean, I know you’re my friends. But...you’re all...important, now.”

  I shrugged off her comment. “Well, now you’re part of the club, so get used to being important too, I guess.”

  She laughed as she raised her water bottle to her lips to take another drink but then realized the bottle was empty.

  I threw my bag down and took a seat by Patrick. Which was apparently enough to wake up Gregory from his meditative trance. He lifted his head and dropped his hands.

  “I’m glad you called this meeting, Iris.” Gregory leaned forward with a somber expression that had me a bit worried. “I have some...well, interesting and disturbing news. I went through Lila’s locker earlier today and found copies of some student records.”

  Lexi gasped indignantly. “How’d she get those?”

  Patrick lifted his shoulders and smirked. He looked cynically unsurprised.

  “There’s no telling,” Gregory answered her. “But how she got the reports doesn’t matter nearly as much as the specific students she singled out.”

  I crossed my arms in a huff. “Let me guess. All the students with shadows we’ve been dealing with since she got here?”

  “Bingo.”

  “All of them?” Kyra asked.

  “Well, let’s see.” Gregory thought for a second. “The drug deal you guys witnessed…you know, right after David’s funeral? I’m pretty sure she set that up because the drug dealer’s file was in there with a few charges of him selling drugs at school.”

  Patrick balled his hands into fists. “I knew she’d do that to me.”

  “There’s something more though.” Gregory clenched his jaw and then reluctantly met Patrick’s eyes. “I also found a file on David.”

  Patrick shifted uncomfortably as Gregory finished. “And most of the information was collected…before he died.”

  We were stunned. No one said a word, and though the silence was only a few seconds, it weighed heavily on us. Patrick was the first to snap out of it, slamming his fist on the desk. He shoved his chair backwards on the hard floor and stood up abruptly to go face the wall.

  As Patrick ran his fingers through his hair, his back facing us, Kyra voiced what we’d all been thinking. “So David’s death wasn’t just from an accidental overdose.”

  It was a horrible thought to consider. That Donovan and the shadows would stoop that low just to get at Patrick. I wanted to make Patrick feel better, but I didn’t know what to say. I settled for a change of subject. I turned back to Gregory. “So what other files did Lila have?”

  Gregory blinked a few times. “Um, well, there was Owen and Cameron. Owen’s record showed several bullying reports, of course. A few where he was bullying Cameron. And somehow, Lila even had a few counselor’s reports on how Cameron was handling all of his abuse.”

  “Wow, she’s thorough.” I shook my head. After gaining a slightly different perspective on Lila that afternoon, I had a hard time picturing her helping pre-arrange such cruel events.

  “There was one more.” Gregory stared at the ceiling with squinted eyes as
if he could read invisible ink there. “Oh, Angela.” He looked at Kyra and me. “You guys helped her at lunch...”

  “Yeah,” Lexi butt in. “Sweet girl. I gave her my number while we were in the counselor’s office. That way she could call me when she gets wherever they’re taking her. She seemed really grateful.” She sunk back in her seat, shyly, realizing she’d stolen all the attention.

  “Good.” Gregory smiled and winked at her. “She’ll need a good friend.”

  Patrick nudged Lexi’s shoulder as he took his seat again. Apparently, he’d calmed down enough to tease the newest member of our group. “Welcome to the team, hot shot.”

  Lexi grinned from ear to ear.

  “Angela’s record,” Gregory continued, “showed she’d talked to a counselor about her depression a few times recently, but I’m guessing Lila called on her shadow to take that depression to the next level.”

  “Lucas, actually.”

  They all looked at me, waiting for me to explain myself, but I had to collect my thoughts first. I’d only just come to that conclusion myself.

  I took a deep breath. “Last night when Lucas and Donovan were talking about me, Lucas said he had one more trick up his sleeve. That was probably it.”

  “So he’s trying to remind you of your past,” Kyra said. “Both of you actually with the whole drug deal incident.”

  “Wait.” Lexi glanced back and forth between Patrick and me. “Do you mean Iris tried to commit suicide and Patrick used to be a drug dealer?”

  Part of me felt the urge to laugh while the other cringed and whimpered. After all the years of secrecy, I was about to disclose to Lexi my secret past. Not to mention Patrick’s. “No, Patrick wasn’t a drug dealer. But as a dark servant his job was to corrupt people. David, the one who had the funeral recently, started on drugs because of Patrick, and he died of an overdose. Which, as you heard, wasn’t a complete accident, so his death wasn’t all Patrick’s fault.” I gave Patrick a pointed look to make sure he’d heard that part. “And yes, I did try to commit suicide three years ago. That’s actually when my crazy vision started. I’m sorry. I would’ve told you before, but that part of my life is just something I never really want to bring up.”